There has been some recent controversy about Barack Obama's religious background. Mr. Obama has recently issued statements through his spokesmen in the media (i.e., reporters) which express his shock at being questioned about such things.

Most of his media spokesmen (i.e., reporters) have then gone on to cite his membership in Chicago's Trinity United Church Of Christ parish as proof that he is just a regular run of the mill American Christian.

But a visit to the Trinity Church's website proves that it is not your everyday Christian parish:

Trinity United Church of Christ

About Us

We are a congregation which is Unashamedly Black and Unapologetically Christian... Our roots in the Black religious experience and tradition are deep, lasting and permanent. We are an African people, and remain "true to our native land," the mother continent, the cradle of civilization. God has superintended our pilgrimage through the days of slavery, the days of segregation, and the long night of racism. It is God who gives us the strength and courage to continuously address injustice as a people, and as a congregation. We constantly affirm our trust in God through cultural expression of a Black worship service and ministries which address the Black Community.

Trinity United Church of Christ adopted the Black Value System written by the Manford Byrd Recognition Committee chaired by Vallmer Jordan in 1981. We believe in the following 12 precepts and covenantal statements. These Black Ethics must be taught and exemplified in homes, churches, nurseries and schools, wherever Blacks are gathered. They must reflect on the following concepts:

1. Commitment to God2. Commitment to the Black Community3. Commitment to the Black Family4. Dedication to the Pursuit of Education5. Dedication to the Pursuit of Excellence6. Adherence to the Black Work Ethic7. Commitment to Self-Discipline and Self-Respect8. Disavowal of the Pursuit of "Middleclassness"9. Pledge to make the fruits of all developing and acquired skills available to the Black Community10. Pledge to Allocate Regularly, a Portion of Personal Resources for Strengthening and Supporting Black Institutions11. Pledge allegiance to all Black leadership who espouse and embrace the Black Value System12. Personal commitment to embracement of the Black Value System.

The Pastor as well as the membership of Trinity United Church of Christ is committed to a 10-point Vision:

1. A congregation committed to ADORATION.2. A congregation preaching SALVATION.3. A congregation actively seeking RECONCILIATION.4. A congregation with a non-negotiable COMMITMENT TO AFRICA.5. A congregation committed to BIBLICAL EDUCATION.6. A congregation committed to CULTURAL EDUCATION.7. A congregation committed to the HISTORICAL EDUCATION OF AFRICAN PEOPLE IN DIASPORA.8. A congregation committed to LIBERATION.9. A congregation committed to RESTORATION.10. A congregation working towards ECONOMIC PARITY.

A visit to the church's bookstore shows they have been true to their word. It is full of (bogus) Afrocentric books, many of which make the usual preposterous Afrocentric claims, such as that Cleopatra was black:

The book store also shamelessly hawks Mr. Osama's books as well:

But Trinity Church's proselytizing doesn't stop with re-writing history and promoting its parishioners.

Marvin Gayes powerful message song is a song that made him famous because it went against the Motown entertainment rule. It raised serious questions about the culture, the country and governmental policy.

His song raised questions about Black-on-Black violence, about drugs, about war and about the way in which we were living (or not living) in a very difficult period of history.

I use his words today on the third Sunday of a New Year to keep before you the painful truth of who we are and where it is we are in this racist United States of America! Whats goin on?

We have lost over 3,000 boys and girls in an illegal and unjust war, and the media is on a feeding frenzy about Barack Obamas church. Where is the outrage about the 3,000 dead American military personnel and the 600,000 dead Iraqi civilians who are dead for no reason other than greed and ego? Whats goin on?

This past Wednesday, January 17th, the House of Representatives deliberated on a bill to cut interest rates on federally subsidized student loans. On Thursday, January 18th, the House of Representatives considered legislation that would repeal some royalties and tax incentives from the oil and gas industries and redistribute that money to alternative and renewable energy such as bio-fuels.

The media, however, is not covering that news. The media wants to know about Barack Obamas pastor. Whats goin on?

On the weekend leading up to Dr. Martin Luther Kings birthday, the House of Representatives passed a bill requiring the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate drug prices for the Medicare program. The President who is staying the course and sending 1,500 more troops to their death has issued a veto threat against the measure and there is no public outcry and no media outrage. Whats goin on?

The President, who is staying the course and sending 21,500 more troops to their death has issued a veto threat against the measure and there is no public outcry and no media outrage.

The Presidents New Plan (more troops, more death and more war) promises an insane escalation  in Iraq, Iran and beyond! With the torture of Abu Ghraib, the complete destructions of cities like Fallujah and over 600,000 deaths due to collateral damage, the President complained in his speech that there had been too many restrictions on the actions of the United States Forces in the Iraq war.

The Presidents New Plan (more troops, more death and more war) promises an insane escalation  in Iraq, Iran and beyond!

Am I the only one who heard that? Whats goin on?

I celebrate forty years of ordained ministry this weekend. I bask in the 40-year glow of Gods Grace, Gods forgiveness and Gods lessons about humility.

The e-mails that I have been getting this week, the news clippings that I am being sent and the racist blogs that are flooding the Internet make me know, however, that even as I bask, the work ahead for the church of Jesus Christ is just as serious and difficult today (if not more so) as it was forty years ago when I was ordained during the Vietnamese War!

The President tries to frame the justification for his insanity by using language describing the debate in this country over the war as a great struggle between those who believe in freedom in moderation and extremists who kill the innocent.

The reality, however, is that the entire war in Iraq and the larger war on terror have been based on lies, half-truths and distortions to serve the agenda of the United States imperialism. Where is the public outcry? Where is the outrage? Whats goin on?

There is more focus on what the Bears may or may not do as they play a football game against New Orleans than there is on the 3,000 homeless who are still living or displaced in the real life game called New Orleans.

Those poor Black and white displaced citizens of New Orleans (not imported team members playing for New Orleans), who have no place to go and no place to live because of this administrations illegal war and its billions of dollars wasted on prosecuting that war, join with me in asking, Whats goin on?

Excuse me! The victims of Hurricane Katrina are no longer on the radar screen of the media. Only Barack, his church, his pastor and white arrogance!

I invite your sincere prayers this weekend. The generation of ministers behind me has its work cut out for them in some incredible and overwhelming ways!

Sincerely yours,

Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr.

So much for the separation of church and state.

Speaking of which, here is what is being promoted at the top of the church's home page as we speak:

MEET SENATOR BARACK OBAMA!!!

On Sunday, January 28th, immediately following the 11:00 a.m. worship service, meet Senator Barack Obama, author of the best-selling book, Audacity of Hope. Purchase your copy of Audacity of Hope in the Akiba Bookstore and have it personally signed by Senator Obama. You do not want to miss this monumental experience!

The United Church of Christ has affirmed and re-affirmed since 1971 that access to safe and legal abortion is consistent with a womans right to follow the dictates of her own faith and beliefs in determining when and if she should have children, and has supported comprehensive sexuality education as one measure to prevent unwanted or unplanned pregnancies. (General Synods VIII, IX, XI, XII, XIII, XVI, XVII, and XVIII)

I tried years ago to go to some of the "mainstream" Protestant churchs in my community. No, not the level of politics in this letter but I was simply looking for a good homily on Jesus and the Bible. I knew that Catholic homilies were less than stellar. I discovered that the homilies in these churchs were no longer about Jesus or the Bible. In fact, I went to a Methodist service at Easter one year to be with my mother in law. Not one mention of the Resurrection or Our Lord. Wow.

"I discovered that the homilies in these churchs were no longer about Jesus or the Bible. In fact, I went to a Methodist service at Easter one year to be with my mother in law. Not one mention of the Resurrection or Our Lord. Wow."

Note the above "sermon" only mentions Jesus' name once and not in a religious or biblical context. Seems fixed on the world rather than the Holy Spirit.

They show the worship service from Trinity on one of the local channels in Chicago, and I watched it a while back. I just caught most of the sermon, and it was pretty much straight politics with a veneer of religion.

So if Congress decides to put further restraints on the political involvement of churches, this one had better be at the top of their list. This one may have gone past current restraints, for all I know.

I am not for restraints, unless a church is so politically active that it's de facto a political organization, but on Sundays I like to take a break from politics. The Lord's Day, you know.

So? Look, so Obama's church is filled with Black Liberal Democrats who don't like Bush.

You go to Obama's Church and you're going to find people who dislike Bush?

This looks like another job for our old friend....

Jesus! Do you realize how many of the Mainline Churches, between the Guitar Masses, the Liberation Theology, and the denial of the Divinity of Christ, are starting to find empty pews as the norm? Makes me want to go Roman Catholic.

A little more about the "Black Value System" from the Trinity Church's website (pdf):

BLACK VALUE SYSTEM

Statement of Purpose

We honor Dr. Manford Byrd, our brother in Christ, because of the exemplary manner in which he has thrice withstood the ravage of being denied his earned ascension to the number one position in the Chicago School System. His dedication to the pursuit of excellence despite these systemic denials has inspired the congregation of Trinity United Church of Christ. We have prayerfully called the wisdom of all past generations of suffering Blacks for guidance in fashioning an instrument of Black self-determination, the Black Value System.

And we shall, beginning in 1982, institute an annual Black Value System-Educational Scholarship in the name of Dr. Byrd.

This year, 1981, however, we recognize Dr. Byrd as the first recipient of the Dr. Manford Byrd Award which will be given annually to the man or woman who best exemplifies the Black Value System.

The Black Value System

These Black Ethics must be taught and exampled in homes, churches, nurseries and schools, wherever Blacks are gathered. They must reflect the following concepts:

Commitment of God

The God of our weary years will give us the strength to give up prayerful passivism and become Black Christian Activist, soldiers for Black freedom and the dignity of all humankind.

Commitment to the Black Community

The highest level of achievement for any Black person must be a contribution of substance to the strength and continuity of the Black of the Black Community.

Commitment to the Black Family

The Black family circle must generate strength, stability, and love despite the uncertainty of externals, because these characteristics are required if the developing person is to withstand warping by our racist competitive society.

Those Blacks who are blessed with membership in a strong family unit must reach out and expand that blessing to the less fortunate, especially to the children.

Dedication to the Pursuit of Education

We must forswear anti-intellectualism. Continued survival demands that each Black Person be developed to the utmost of his/her mental potential despite the inadequacies of the formal education process. Real education fosters understanding of ourselves as well as every aspect of our environment. Also it develops within us the ability to fashion concepts and tools for better utilization of our resources, and more effective solutions to our problems. Since the majority of Blacks have been denied such learning, Black Education must include elements that provide high school graduates with marketable skills, a trade or qualifications for apprenticeships, or proper preparation for college.

Basic education for all Blacks should include Mathematics, Science, Logic, General Semantics, Participative Politics, Economics and Finance, and the Care and Nurture of Black minds.

To the extent that we individually reach for, even strain for excellence, we increase, geometrically, the value and resourcefulness of the Black Community. We must recognize the relativity of ones best: this years best can be bettered next year. Such is the language of growth and development. We must seek to excel in every endeavor.

Adherence to the Black Work Ethic

It is becoming harder to find qualified people to work in Chicago Whether this is true or not, it represents one of the many reasons given by businesses and industries for deserting the Chicago area. We must realize that a location with good facilities, adequate transportation and reputation for producing skilled workers will attract industry. We are in competition with other cities, states, and nations for jobs. High productivity must be a goal of the Black workforce.

Commitment to Self-Discipline and Self-Respect

To accomplish anything worthwhile requires self-discipline. We must be a community of self-disciplined persons, if we are to actualize and utilize our own human resources instead of perpetually submitting to exploitation by others. Self discipline coupled with a respect for self, will enable each of us to be an instrument of Black Progress, and a model for Black Youth.

Disavowal of the Pursuit of Middleclassness

Classic methodology on control of captives teaches that captors must keep the captive ignorant educationally, but trained sufficiently well to serve the system. Also, the captors must be able to identify the talented tenth of those subjugated, especially those who show promise of providing the kind of leadership that might threaten the captors control.

Those so identified as separated from the rest of the people by:

Killing them off directly, and/or fostering a social system that encourages them to kill off one another.

Placing them in concentration camps, and/or structuring an economic environment that induces captive youth to fill the jails and prisons.

Seducing them into a socioeconomic class system which while training them to earn more dollars, hypnotizes them into believing they are better than others and teaches them to think in terms of we and they instead of us.

So, while it is permissible to chase middle-incomeness with all our might, we must avoid the third separation method-the psychological entrapment of Black middleclassness: If we avoid the snare, we will also diminish our voluntary contributions to methods A and B. And more importantly, Black people no longer will be deprived of their birthright, the leadership, resourcefulness, and example of their own talented persons.

Pledge to Make the Fruits of All Developing and Acquired Skills Available to the Black community

Pledge to Allocate Regularly, a Portion of Personal Resources for Strengthening and Supporting Black Institutions.

Pledge Allegiance to all Black Leadership Who Espouse and Embrace The Black Value System.

Personal Commitment to Embracement of the Black Value System - to Measure the Worth and Validity of All Activity in Terms of Positive Contributions to the General Welfare of the Black Community and the Advancement of Black People towards Freedom.

Ouch! I wish I could disagree with you. My church in San Antonio (University UMC) is in the minority of UMCs in that it is conservative, focused on the Bible, yet very involved in Habitat for Humanity and other outreach ministries. Of course, we also have 6,000 members and are the largest and fastest-growing church in the conference. Hmmmm - one wonders why we're in the minority...

26
posted on 01/25/2007 10:17:42 AM PST
by jagusafr
(The proof that we are rightly related to God is that we do our best whether we feel inspired or not")

Martin Luther King's dream is becoming a nightmare. The Black Left is leading people down the road to Hell where they will leave them there. Someday, they may be singing, "We Shall Overcome" from behind the Gates of Socialist Hell.

Wow, this is frightening. Now THIS is a story the MSM can really sink its teeth into. Since they've "discredited" the story about Obama being a Muslim, they can now demonstrate what a "real Christian" he is today and highlight some of these beliefs. Obama is a racist pig. This "church" is nothing but a bunch of psychotic and intolerant kooks.

41
posted on 01/25/2007 10:43:14 AM PST
by boop
(Now Greg, you know I don't like that WORD!)

That was my first thought. What would people say if such a sermon substituted the words "Black" and "African" with "White" and "European"? I imagine there would be an uproar and the writer would be called an extremist.

I don't recall. I tuned in just to see what it was, since it's kind of unusual for UCC congregations to have TV broadcasts and, at that time, I didn't even make the connection between the church and Obama. In this particular sermon, I didn't notice much that I would call Afro-centric, but there was plenty of bashing Bush and conservatives by name, and that's when I bailed out. (That, and that fact that the guy preaching at the time wasn't very good. He was reading his sermon, which is okay, but he should do it so it doesn't sound like he's reading, and he had a kind of lacksidaisical delivery style.)

Did you notice that this "Church" is just the black Muslim cult with a name change?

Some great political ads on the way: reading quotes from the Rev. and asking Osama-obama whether he disavows or endorses the quotes. Even if no alphabet-network reporter will ask the question in an interview, you can pose the question in the ads.

With stuff like that hanging out there, this dude is not ready for prime time.

Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.